07/27, 8:45pm

Latest study continues disagreement over effects

A new study exploring the effects of cellular radiation has found no relationship between cellphone use and cancer in children and adolescents. The European study, which was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, aimed to focus on the potential risks for young users, amid concerns that children are more sensitive to radiation than adults.

05/09, 10:55pm

System mimics EAS for radio, TV

The FCC is reportedly ready to introduce an emergency alert system that focuses on communication to cellphones. The Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) essentially mimics the current Emergency Alert System, which is limited to radio and television stations. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are said to be voluntarily collaborating with the Commission to as it prepares to launch the new service.

05/06, 7:55pm

Motorola slips to second place

Samsung has achieved the highest market share for cellphones distributed throughout the US in the first quarter of the year, according to recent data compiled by the research firm comScore. Motorola has fallen from the top of the list, losing 1.6 percent following lackluster sales in most handset categories aside from smartphones.

07/09, 1:10pm

Sony Ericsson W595 leak

Early images of a new Sony Ericsson phone are available, a French site claims. The site says it has obtained photos of a device called the W595, which may be a successor to the W580. Although little is known about the product, images show a slider with a new, rounded top, a larger numberpad, and different navigation buttons. The phone is also believed to have a built-in accelerometer and FM tuner, as well as a preloaded copy of Google Maps. The accelerometer is likely meant to rotate the screen view along with the phone.

07/09, 12:35pm

Sprint Diamond on Sept. 2?

HTC's Touch Diamond has finally secured a release date with Sprint, according to reports. A timetable, allegedly leaked from Sprint, mentions the MP6950 -- the Touch Diamond -- as shipping on September 2nd, alongside other phones from Motorola and Samsung. This puts the Sprint phone in a launch schedule similar to that of Telus' version, which is supposed to be the first North American one but only has a "summer" release date.

07/09, 11:35am

FoneLink 2.1 ships

nova media has published the v2.1 update to FoneLink, its phone sync utility for Macs. The app is designed to support phones which are otherwise incompatible with Mac OS X, and sync content including photos, videos and music, as well as contacts, bookmarks, notes and text messages. The program integrates with Sync Services to share data with apps like Address Book and Entourage, and can additionally create backups and ringtones.

07/02, 1:20pm

BlackBerry 8350 for iDEN?

The next BlackBerry for Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network will be a Curve phone, called the 8350, a report claims. Although Sprint announced in February that it would receive a new iDEN BlackBerry, it has otherwise kept quiet on the issue, leaving most information to media leaks and speculation. The new device is expected to help revive Sprint's struggling iDEN network, whose most recent BlackBerry is the outdated 7100i.

06/30, 1:40pm

Verizon 2008 phone list

Information has leaked on the remainder of Verizon's cellphone releases for 2008, a report claims. Preeminent in the list are some phones unexpected for Verizon's roster, such as CDMA versions of the Touch Diamond and the Touch Pro, which will likely rebranded under the carrier's own naming scheme. Also mentioned is a Samsung phone, the SCH-U310, which does not have any previously published information. The fact is unusual in that many of Samsung's phones are released in Asia and Europe months before they arrive in North America, and are publicized internationally. No dates have been mentioned for the U310 or the Touches.

06/26, 12:50pm

RIM: Bold not delayed

There have not been any delays in the development of the BlackBerry Bold, a Research in Motion representative claims. At a Wednesday press event, Erik Van Drunen criticized what he called "rumors from bloggers" pointing to some form of postponement. Reports from some sources have suggested that RIM and AT&T (the Bold's first carrier) are experiencing technical problems, namely overheating; this has allegedly moved the Bold's release date back by at least a month.

06/24, 1:20pm

Motorola MING A1600, 1800

After months of speculation, Motorola has formally announced two new MING-series phones, the A1600 and 1800. The first has a 2.4-inch touchscreen, with a liftable plastic cover to protect against damage. Also onboard is a three-megapixel camera with the unusual feature of continuous autofocus, something allegedly unseen on cellphones to date. The camera can also be used to produced animated GIFs, or translate text through built-in software.

06/23, 1:30pm

Helio Ocean 2 images

Images of a new Helio phone have leaked online, accounts say. Visitors to YouTube report having seen a number of clips of someone demonstrating an alleged "Ocean 2," an upgraded version of its popular messaging and multimedia phone. Although the clips have since disappeared, a lone still from a video remains, showing a device with substantial cosmetic differences. Among these are a new metallic rim and navigation pad.

06/20, 1:00pm

Alltel nabs Samsung MyShot

A new Samsung phone, the MyShot (SCH-r430), is being adopted by Alltel Wireless. The phone is a fairly basic clamshell design, and primarily features a 1.3-megapixel camera, which saves to an internal memory pool of 20MB. The phone also allows limited web browsing and file downloads, but does not support any broadband options.

06/17, 1:05pm

Nokia 5800 in posters

Nokia's upcoming 5800 phone has appeared as part of a new promotional poster, Unwired View writes. German vendor SMS Shop is advertising the 5800 along several other Nokia phones, including the 5220, 6210, 6600 and E71. No prices or release dates are presented, but the phone is identified as having WLAN (Wi-Fi) and HSDPA support. A sample interface screen is shown as well.

06/16, 1:05pm

Samsung 'green' phones

Korea's Samsung today announced two new cellphones, the W510 and the F268, at the World IT Show in Seoul. Rather than publicize performance specifications however, the company is concentrating on the reduced environmental damage of their construction. The W510 (pictured) is said to be Samsung's first built with "bioplastic," eschewing synthetic materials for those extracted from corn. The phone is further said to have been built without heavy metals such as mercury or cadmium, and use a water-soluble coating.

06/04, 1:40pm

LG KC550 cameraphone

LG has announced the KC550, a new slider phone with an emphasis on photos and video. At its heart is a five-megapixel camera, equipped with an autofocus lens protected by a sliding cover. The phone also boasts digital blur reduction, ISO 800 sensitivity and a built-in flash, though this uses LED lighting, rather than the more powerful xenon technology. The display is limited to QVGA resolution, but owners can play videos formatted for sizes up to 720x480, at a framerate of up to 30fps. No DivX support is present, unlike LG's Viewty.

06/03, 1:05pm

E-Ten phones at Computex

Cellphone maker E-Ten has debuted a trio of new Glofiish phones at the Taiwanese Computex expo. Leading these according to MobileBurn is the X900, a touchscreen device running the professional version of Windows Mobile 6.1. Although the device also has HSDPA broadband, its primary feature may be the style of touch control, which is said to resemble the TouchFLO interface used on HTC's Touch handsets. A difference is that the X900 uses 3D effects and large icons better suited to fingers.

06/02, 1:20pm

Google phone in 2009?

Google is not only developing a smartphone, but it is experiencing delays, according to The Street. The financial publication cites a "source familiar with the situation," who says that large teams are working on both the company's Android software platform, and the so-called Gphone hardware. Despite this the latter is said to be encountering unexpected setbacks, and will not be ready until some point in 2009.

05/30, 3:55pm

FoneLink 2.0 released

nova media says it has released FoneLink 2.0, a radically altered version of its original phone sync software. The app is said to have been rewritten from scratch, and uses drag-and-drop commands throughout its new interface, which also presents an activity monitor for active and cued transfers. More criticial is the inclusion of built-in support for Apple's Sync Services, which lets users copy information from iCal, Entourage and Address Book, among other programs.

05/29, 2:00pm

Motorola V750 PTT phone

Motorola will premiere a new phone with the debut of Verizon's push-to-talk (PTT) service this summer, promotional documents show. The V750 is intended for people working in environments such as construction sites, and as such is designed to meet the US military's 810F specification, which requires protection against elements such as heat, cold, dust, shocks and solar radiation. It likewise has extended battery power, enabling talk-time of up to 330 minutes, or standby of 540 hours (22+ days). These figures do however shrink in PTT mode, falling to 230 minutes and 83 hours, respectively.

05/27, 4:55pm

Verizon launches Moto W755

Verizon Wireless has both confirmed and launched the W755, a new clamshell phone by Motorola. The phone sports a metal finish, a 1.9-inch display and a 1.3-megapixel camera; its primary feature however is music playback, and to that end touch-sensitive music controls are located on the exterior face of the device. A microSD slot is capable of expanding storage up to 4GB, and audio can be streamed to stereo Bluetooth headsets.

05/23, 1:05pm

Nokia E66 passes FCC

A sequel to Nokia's E65 smartphone should be headed to the United States, FCC filings show. A device called the E66 has been approved for use in the country, in two different versions: one using Europe's 2100MHz 3G band, and another geared for the crucial 850 and 1900MHz bands tapped for domestic networks. Little else is known about the device, but rumors suggest it will have a 3.2-megapixel camera, and 128MB of memory. It may also use more durable manufacturing than some other Nokia phones.

05/19, 1:40pm

Phone sales in decline

A failing economy is beginning to have serious impact on the US cellphone market, says the NPD Group. For the first time since it began recording such figures, NPD writes that sales dropped in the first quarter of 2008 to 31 million, a decline of 22 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago. There has also been a substantial shift in marketshare, with Chicago-based Motorola continuing to dominate other companies, but slipping from a control of 35 percent to 27.

05/16, 1:05pm

BlackBerry Bold dates?

Research in Motion's anticipated BlackBerry Bold cellphone may already have prices and dates for all major US carriers, a report claims. According to a supplied chart, the AT&T version will ship first in July, at a cost of $300; the T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon versions are all scheduled for September at the same price level, with the exception of the T-Mobile device, which is $50 extra. This may be attributable to contract plans not revealed in the chart.

05/16, 12:35pm

Treo 800w photo leaked

An early photo of Palm's upcoming Treo 800w smartphone has leaked online, accounts say. Posted by a Palm OS hacker, the image appears to resemble both renderings and Sprint's own press image, depicting a device which takes styling queues from its cheaper cousin the Centro. Unexpected however is the color, as the photo model is blue, and previous indications have pointed to a "charcoal" exterior. The hacker adds that the phone uses a micro-USB connector.

05/07, 12:20pm

Philips touchscreen phone

Dutch electronics giant Philips is working on its own attempted competitor to the iPhone, leaked information suggests. A Chinese site, CCID, says it has obtained preliminary information on a new Xenium phone, called the X800. Like the iPhone the X800 is designed as a mostly touchscreen-controlled device, with any physical buttons relegated to essential commands; its physical differences consist mostly of a black backing and a more slender profile.

05/06, 12:35pm

Sprint 800w on Jul. 22

Sprint has set a date for the release of Palm's Treo 800w, according to WMExperts. The smartphone is said to be going on sale with the carrier on July 22nd, echoing an earlier leaked slide presentation which pointed only to that month in general. No pricing has been indicated, but it should be available in a "charcoal" black color, distinguishing itself from typically brightly-hued Treos.

05/05, 12:35pm

Samsung i770 at FCC

An unusual new Samsung phone has been approved by the FCC, filings show. The SCH-i770 uses the new Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, but its main feature is a hybrid receiver, allowing users to switch between GSM and CDMA networks at will. Such receivers are common in countries like Russia, but not in the United States, where large national networks, unique frequencies and a lack of unlocked sales can deter importing. Crucially, the i770 supports the common 850 and 1900MHz bands used by American carriers.

05/01, 12:45pm

New Motorola ZN5 info

A Chinese website claims to have obtained some of the first detailed images of Motorola's ZN5, a collaboration with Kodak. The focus of this is the phone's five-megapixel camera, which KeySJ says it can confirm has a xenon flash for better power. Also in place is an unusually large lens cover, which offers protection against dust and impact damage that most cameraphones currently lack. The phone may even be capable of capturing RAW files, something typically reserved for professional-grade cameras.

04/30, 1:35pm

GSmart touch interface

Smartphone maker GSmart has revealed the creation of a new touchscreen interface, designed to compete with that of the Apple iPhone. GSmart's Smart Touch technology likewise relies on figure gestures, and similar tropes, such as placing shortcuts for up to 16 applications on the Standby screen; to add, delete or reposition shortcuts, users can simply drag icons around. Launching requires only a quick tap. Widgets are meanwhile present in the form of analog and digital clocks, which can toggled on or off with a flick.

04/18, 3:15pm

Hydrogen-powered cellphone

The Electro-Mechanics division of Samsung says it has developed a hydrogen-powered prototype cellphone, one which could soon have a commercial equivalent. The new technology consists of a special hydrogen generator and a micro-fuel cell; when the phone is turned on, metal and water react to produce hydrogen gas, which is then transferred to a fuel cell where oxygenation releases energy. Most conventional versions of this technology are said to require methanol in place of water.

04/18, 12:45pm

Alcatel phones in US

The French-based telecom Alcatel is releasing its first official phone for the US, the E206a. The phone is being carried by the GSM-based MVNO O2 Wireless -- not to be confused with Europe's O2 -- and uses an extremely basic candybar design, having only a dual-band receiver, and virtually no other features. Aside from foregoing technologies such as 3G, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, the 206a lacks even EDGE or GPRS data support, and does not have a USB port.

04/11, 10:00am

Nokia Mac software beta

Finnish cellphone maker Nokia has released a new beta version of its Multimedia Transfer software, which is specifically designed for Macs. The program exploits Apple's iLife suite, allowing users sync photos in either direction through iPhoto, or copy music to a phone via iTunes. It also handles more routine synching of content such as videos, games, and various other applications.

04/07, 5:00pm

Carphone Warehouse in US

Europe's Carphone Warehouse is coming to the US, reports say. The company is an independent cellphone vendor, and has some 2,300 stores scattered throughout European countries. It is now planning to open almost 1,000 stores in America, thanks to a partnership with big-box retailer Best Buy, which owns a 3 percent stake in Carphone. Some of these will be boutiques within Best Buy shops, but others will operate separately in different locations. The first American outlets should launch later this year.

04/04, 2:55pm

Sony Ericsson P5 specs

More details have emerged on Sony Ericsson's P5 smartphone. The source for yesterday's leak has disclosed more details, revealing for example that the direction pad is flanked by two call keys, blended into the rest of the phone. The QWERTY keyboard sports a number of multifunction keys, and the back is made of metal, with a sliding lens cover for the five-megapixel camera.

04/04, 1:15pm

New Nextel BlackBerry

The CEO of Sprint, Dan Hesse, has announced a new BlackBerry phone for the company's iDEN network, reports say. Sprint inherited the network when it acquired Nextel, but has long been accused of neglecting it, despite it having once had widespread popularity with taxi and construction companies, thanks to push-to-talk support. According to Hesse, the new iDEN BlackBerry is expected "later this year," and will have Wi-Fi -- a feature effectively absent from other iDEN options.

04/03, 4:00pm

Nokia 3606/1606 AWS phones

Finland's Nokia has announced two new cellphones for North America, the 3606 and 1606. Built on CDMA, the phones are notable mainly for supporting Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) bands -- specifically, the 1,700 and 2,100MHz ranges. AWS is a spectrum opened up to American carriers in 2006, and owned primarily by T-Mobile, a GSM carrier. The 3606 is equipped with a 1.3-megapixel camera, and supports features such as music playback and Bluetooth 2.0, the latter allowing A2DP stereo. Media is kept primarily on microSD cards.

04/03, 3:15pm

Nokia N-Gage goes public

After having done a limited soft launch in February, Nokia has officially thrown open the doors to N-Gage, its online gaming service. Users can download demos of games that use both 2D and 3D technology, and then buy full titles through the same means. In some cases, users can play the games against other opponents online, via the N-Gage Arena.

04/03, 1:40pm

Sony Ericsson P5 photo

Sony Ericsson's P5 smartphone, once expected to be announced in late 2007, has finally been seen in public, reports claim. The P5 is again said to be a slider with a large touchscreen, but it is now also claimed to have a "full keyboard," similar to the P1. The onboard operating system, meanwhile, has been identified as UIQ 3.3, and control may be possible through both finger gestures and a stylus.

04/02, 4:25pm

Telus takes Motorola Q9c

In addition to the BlackBerry 8330, Telus has also introduced the Motorola Q9c, an evolution of the popular Q9 smartphone. The Q9c is a CDMA companion to the GSM-based Q9h, and sports EVDO broadband, built-in GPS functions, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. As with the 8330, the Q9c can access apps and information through various Pocket Express portals.

04/02, 3:50pm

Telus BlackBerry 8330

RIM's BlackBerry 8330, coming soon to Verizon and Sprint, will also be adopted by Canadian carrier Telus, an official listing shows. This will make Telus the first carrier in the country to carry the device, which is a CDMA version version of the Curve equipped with built-in GPS functions. Like the Verizon model, the Telus edition comes preloaded with a Facebook application; it is additionally confirmed to have access to app and news portals, provided by Pocket Express.

04/01, 4:50pm

Sanyo Pro phones at Sprint

Sprint has announced that two Sanyo phones, the Pro-200 and Pro-700, will be hosted on its network later this month. The pair are notable mainly for combining both push-to-talk access and Mobile Broadband, two options Sprint rarely combines. In particular they have support for EVDO Rev. A, which delivers faster speeds than conventional EVDO. The Pro-200 is basic clamshell, with Bluetooth abilities and support for e-mail and text messaging.

04/01, 3:25pm

Velocity Mobile launches

A neophyte cellphone maker, Velocity Mobile, has announced its first-ever Windows Mobile phones. Each of the two use the newly-unveiled Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, and are quad-band GSM/EDGE phones with access to HSPA 3G broadband. Both are also equipped with 128MB of RAM and 256 of ROM, and wireless technologies including GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi receivers. To complement this, the phones have two-megapixel still and 0.3-megapixel video-call cameras, with support for extended storage on microSD cards.

04/01, 1:40pm

BlackBerry vs. iPhone

The competition between smartphones in the US has effectively devolved into a race between Apple and Research in Motion, a new ChangeWave survey suggests. A March poll of over 3,500 shoppers indicates that while the marketshare of RIM's BlackBerry phones has slid 1 percent since January, it still maintains an overwhelming dominance at a total of 42 percent. Apple's iPhone, meanwhile, has flourished since its June 2007 debut to occupy 9 percent of the market. Treo maker Palm occupies second place at 16 percent, but has been in a continual decline since June of 2006, plummeting from a once-leading position of 36 percent.

04/01, 12:30pm

iPhone pushes smartphones

The release of Apple's iPhone has helped to buoy the smartphone market in general, analysts pointed out at yesterday's Smartphone Summit in Las Vegas. Mark Donovan of M:Metrics observed that the number of American with smartphones doubled last year, reaching 14.6 million. This is notable not just because of previously lackluster sales, according to Donovan, but because it represents a faster growth rate than that for cellphones overall. As a gauge of the iPhone's influence, it is remarked that although 188 million Symbian phones have been sold since the OS' birth in 1999, Apple managed to sell 3.7 million iPhones in the space of six months during 2007.

03/31, 1:15pm

Mole on BlackBerry 9000

A source within Research in Motion has divulged more data on the BlackBerry 9000, according to a new report. Said to be confirmed are some previously-suggested specifications, such as a 480x320 screen, a 624MHz processor, and receivers for functions such as Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G broadband. The source adds to this news that the BlackBerry OS has reached v4.5, and has a web browser that loads pages in as little as three to four seconds.

03/31, 12:40pm

SE Z750a at AT&T

Sony Ericsson's Z750a is now on sale through AT&T, the latter company has announced. The phone is long delayed in arriving, as it was first revealed a year ago; it nevertheless takes advantage of some modern technologies, such as AT&T's 3G broadband network, and the ability to play 3D games. Files for media playback can be kept on Memory Stick Micro cards up to 8GB in size.

03/27, 4:35pm

New Cricket AWS phones

Smaller American carrier Cricket has announced its second and third AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) phones, the MyShot and Spex by Samsung. AWS is a frequency band that was opened up to cellular carriers in 2006, and is used by primarily by T-Mobile. The MyShot is a clamshell phone, featuring a 1.3-megapixel camera, with options like a timer and multi-shot capability. Also present is expanded Bluetooth support, which enables sharing photos as well as contacts. Pricing is $150.

03/27, 1:35pm

BlackBerry 9000 in Jul/Aug

Research in Motion's anticipated next-generation BlackBerry phone, once again said to be the 9000, may not arrive until the second half of the year, a fresh report claims. While a Vodafone leak scheduled it as shipping outside the US in May, and similar information has pointed to a six-month AT&T exclusive at the same time, new rumors point to the phone only shipping in July or August, over a year since RIM's last major device introduction.

03/27, 12:50pm

LG Vu heads to Rogers

A Canadian carrier may beat AT&T to shipping one of LG's iPhone competitors, an announcement suggests. Rogers Wireless has revealed that it will put the Vu touchscreen phone on sale in early May, despite the fact that AT&T has delayed its launch of the phone to an unknown timeframe. Through Rogers, the Vu will have access to radio- and video-on-demand services, mobile TV, and the option to buy downloadable music. Supported e-mail clients will include Rogers, Yahoo and Hotmail.

03/26, 1:25pm

Nokia 6300i phone

Nokia has announced a new GSM phone, the 6300i. A variant on the current 6300, the phone's primary feature is the ability to make both cellular and VoIP calls. The latter are possible over Wi-Fi, an option which may save money when in range of an open hotspot. The phone is also able to browse the web and download applications over Wi-Fi, and can store as many as 2,000 numbers in memory.